CHIT CHAT.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 745, 11 June 1886, Page 4

CHIT CHAT.

Wellington is very gay just now with the customary sessional festivities, in the way of balls, &c. ; but it is noticeable that fewer visitors are to be seen in our streets than is usual during the sitting of Parliament. In view of a short session, many hon. members have—perhaps wisely—left their feminine belongings at home, 44 it was hardly worth while coming a long distance for so short a time.” However, long or short, the absentees are missed, not only by friends, but by the tradesmen, who this year imported more than the ordinary quantity of beautiful goods to adorn the fair persons of maid and matron. I fancy that there is but little extravagance shown by our belles in the matter of dress, a trait very much to their credit. A young community like our own cannot afford to compete with European capitals, or American ones either. As a matter of fact, our American cousins are noted for their profuse expenditure on the toilette. They are fond of an extremely ddcollet£ style of dress, so much so that the newspapers have sharply criticised Miss Cleveland, the President’s sister, and hitherto reigning lady of the White House, for allowing immodest dressing at her receptions. A lady writing from Washington says:—“lt is positively shocking; society is simply a display of meat and bones. Pray for the time when women who call themselves fashionable will consider it no less necessary to have waists to their dresses than long trains.” Amen, to that prayer ; may we never have to utter it on our own behalf ; not that I disapprove of a dress which shows the neck and arms, but between neck and bust a line should always be drawn. Woman must understand that by the exposure of her person, all true social ethics, and esthetics, too, are outraged. A beautiful and modest mean can be followed by all, and leaders of society may, if they will, do much good by discouraging any tendency to the contrary. I did hear a whisper of an intention to introduce the cotillion this season ; but, according to the Court Journal, it is likely to go out of fashion in England, as there is a complaint that it lasts too long, generally about three hours, and an evening’s amusement is thereby converted into a fatiguing occupation. The cotillion is also a costly affair, and degenerates into a vulgarised method of bestowing valuables. You can imagine what a fruitful source of heartburnings and jealousies this giving of presents would become. The musical public will not have forgotten the Simonson Opera Company, and many still entertain a warm personal feeling for those gifted artistes—Madame Fannie Simonson and her daughters. It will be remembered that Leonora, the elder, unhappily died some time ago. The second daughter, Martina, whose voice gave promise of a brilliant future, left Melbourne last year to continue her musical studies in Italy. On the same ship was a Mr George Schrieber, a partner in the wealthy mercantile firm of Schrieber and Schafer, of London and Melbourne. We all know how conducive to love-making is a sea voyage, so it is not astonishing that these two particular passengers developed a happy affinity, became engaged, and finally married a few short weeks ago. While wishing the bride every happiness, we may be pardoned for regretting that her sweet voice will never more charm the ear of a Wellington audience.

And apropos of music, I daresay many of you know that lovely song 4 La Serenata,’ which has been sung many times of late in our concert rooms. Well, its composer, Braga, a celebrated violinist, was recently in Rome, and the Queen of Italy invited him to the palace and praised his serenade in generous terms, winding up with the proposal to sing it herself if he would play the obbligato accompaniment. It need hardly be said that the graceful compliment was accepted and appreciated. Queen Margherita has a beautiful voice, and is an accomplished musician, Therefore, the composer may be pardoned if he played the courtier so far as to exclaim that he could not, for the future, accompany any but a Queen in that song. An important change in hairdressing is announced as imminent by Parisian fashion leaders. The style that has held its ground so long ; the coiffure ala chien—as Parisians term the fringe—is to be abandoned, and without any transition period, the coiffure ala Chinoise is to take its place. Plainly put, the hair is to be brushed back from the face and fastened tightly at the top of the head.

To dress the hair thus is, perhaps, very well for youthful faces and brows innocent of wrinkles, but for women who are no longer young there will be a distinct reluctance to give up the fringes of hair which covers and conceals the lines imprinted by time. The dictates of fashion are, however, so scrupulously obeyed that if once the fiat goes forth fringes will be seen no more, and foreheads wrinkled or unwrinkled will be left bare. It is a pity that fashion’s laws are so arbitrary, as it is obvious that the style of arranging the hair, which is becoming to one face, is absolutely disfiguring to another. It would be infinitely more rational if in this, as in other questions where the features are

concerned, there-were no fixed rales. I saw a lady the other day with her hair drawn back a la Chinoise, and the effect was unmistakeably unbecoming to the face it surmounted. The pretty fashion for little girls of long curls is coming in again. Sometimes they hang unconfined behind, while the front hair is ■ cut short on the forehead; Then, again, the hair is drawn from the front, and the two front curia hid together on the top of the head just as it used to be some ten years ago. The boy’s short crop may be very convenient and healthy, but it is far from being either pretty or becoming. This is decidedly an age of societies and leagues. The latest.at Home is called 44 The Thimble League,” the object of which association is to organise into a body capable of doing practical work those ladies who wish to provide employment for the needy and poor. Every 44 dame ” must assist in cutting out articles of wearing apparel to be made up by poor women at a fair wage, and afterwards sold at a very slight profit to the necessitous. Thank God we have little need here for such a league, but there is an association calculated to do an infinite amount of good, to which I would earnestly draw the attention of all thinking women. I allude to the St. John’s Ambulance Society. There is a vague idea in the male mind that all women are born nurses, but it is a very fallacious idea, though certainly some are born with a special aptitude for nursing, which with a little training will develop into a powerful faculty. The majority of women, however, must confess that when serious sickness enters the home they are unable to cope with it properly and scientifically. Emergencies, too, arise in families when a little anatomical and medical knowledge may save life, and most certainly will. save suffering. Now then the opportunity is offered of learning how to be useful. The Society has announced a fresh course of lectures on “ First aid to the injured,” and I do hope that every woman who can possibly attend will do so, not only on account of the benefit she may derive, but also for the very good reason that the fee she pays will go towards paying the expenses of giving a further course of lectures, to be absolutely free, to her poorer sisters. To them the acquisition of knowledge in this direction is of priceless benefit, and I am sure that if funds are needed to disseminate this knowledge there will be no difficulty in obtaining them. For the present, however, if a tolerable number of ladies join the class, the result will be all that can be desired. Elise.